Commission Discusses Strategic Plan Progress

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today held a public meeting to discuss implementation of the
Commission's fiscal year 2012-2016 Strategic Plan. The Commission approved the Strategic Plan in a 4-1 vote in
February 2012.

As stated in the Strategic Plan, the mission of the EEOC is to stop and remedy unlawful employment discrimination so that the nation can achieve our ultimate vision of justice and equality in the workplace. The plan serves as a framework for the
Commission in achieving this mission by focusing on three objectives: strategic law enforcement, education and outreach, and efficiently serving the public. The three strategic objectives each have a number of performance measures detailing outcomes
to be achieved during the four-year period the plan is in effect. The performance measures are designed to assess the Commission's progress in carrying out its mission in a time of static or declining resources and a growing need for its
services.

The Agency's Performance Improvement Officer (PIO), Claudia Withers, answered questions about Performance Plan 1, addressing the Strategic Enforcement
Plan (SEP) and each of the performance measures. Withers reiterated the agency's commitment to mission-critical thinking, transparent governance, interagency collaboration and public participation. While thanking EEOC staff for their dedication
and achievements, she added that work on the performance measures has mostly been accomplished through internal work groups. She added that holding such public meetings keeps the agency accountable to the public it serves.

Withers and Deputy PIO Deidre Flippen discussed the process of Strategic Plan implementation, and highlighted the fact that, of the 14 measures in the plan, the agency has met or exceeded the fiscal year 2012 expectations for eight, and partially
met the targets in two of the measures. The four remaining measures had no specific targets for fiscal year 2012. The Quality Control Plan is also on track for development this fiscal year. Details of these achievements are published in the agency's
2012 Performance and Accountability Report (PAR). Withers said work on achieving further SEP plans and recommendations, including ones on the
development of sub-regulatory policy guidance; data and research; outreach and education; and national standard operating procedures, is already or soon will be underway. Flippen also described the implementation milestones achieved by the agency
since approval of the Strategic Plan.

Among the many benefits of the Strategic Plan, Withers pointed out that fulfillment of the plan's objectives depends on and actually promotes increased collaboration among EEOC staff, as well as ownership by staff of the plan's objectives. Agency
leaders echoed the tangible benefits of inclusive and collaborative implementation.

Moreover, Withers said, "Implementation of the Strategic Plan will help the Commission carry out its mission as efficiently as possible, in the short run. In the long run, the plan will set a strong foundation for the agency for years to
come."

The Commission will hold open the Feb. 20 Commission meeting record for 15 days, and invites audience members, as well as other members of the public, to submit written comments on any issues or matters discussed at the meeting. Public comments
may be mailed to Commission Meeting, EEOC Executive Officer, 131 M Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20507, or emailed to: Commissionmeetingcomments@eeoc.gov.

The comments you provide will be made available to members of the Commission and to Commission staff working on the matters discussed at the meeting. In addition, your comments may be disclosed to the public. By providing comments in response to
this solicitation, you are consenting to their use and consideration by the Commission and to their public dissemination. Accordingly, do not include any information in submitted comments that you would not want made public, e.g., home address,
telephone number, etc. Also, note that when comments are submitted by email, the sender's email address automatically appears on the message.

The EEOC is responsible for enforcement federal laws prohibiting discrimination in employment. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.